Hamilton Bulldogs all-time leading scorer notches first NHL goal in debut
Published February 3, 2021 at 7:55 pm
Former Hamilton Bulldogs superstar Arthur Kaliyev scored his first NHL goal in his first pro game for the LA Kings Tuesday (Feb. 3) night.
With his club trailing 2-0 in the 2nd period, the 6-foot-2 winger scored what would end up being the lone goal for LA, putting home a rebound off Anaheim goaltender John Gibson in the Kings’ 3-1 loss to the Ducks.
“It was a really special moment, getting the first one,” Kaliyev told LAKingsInsider.com reporter Zach Dooley after the game.
“You never forget those moments, getting your first goal. I thought it was a pretty good game, a lot of nerves at the start of the game, but I tried to play my best out there and picked up a rebound goal.”
The Staten Island, New York-native finished the night with 14:42 of ice time. Kaliyev was also used as the sixth attacker in the closing minutes of the game with Cal Petersen pulled and LA looking for the equalizer.
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“He’s a young player, he was excited to play and the guys were excited for him and that gave us a little bit of life and a little bit of energy,” Kings coach Todd McLellan told LAKingsInsider.com.
“When a 19-year-old can come in and do that, he’s obviously dangerous when he’s got the puck in and around the net, he had some other chances, more than a lot of our other forwards that played tonight. A good start for him and he’ll learn his way through the league.
Kaliyev was drafted in the 2nd round, 33rd overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Kings.
He holds the Bulldogs all-times records for goals (126) and points (248).
Kaliyev helped Team USA win gold at the 2020-21 World Junior Hockey Championship, scoring 3 goals and finishing with 8 points in 7 games.
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